Housing Update

There's good news and there's bad news here in Bucharest. Which would you like to hear first? I guess I'll start with the bad news, so that I can end this post on a good note.

My living situation here has gone south rather quickly. As I mentioned in my last post, I've been having a lot of trouble getting access to my bank account. Unfortunately this meant that I did not have enough money to pay both my first month's rent and my security deposit upfront. My roommate/landlady, Magda, was very understanding at first, and she told me that I could pay her when I had the money. However, by the next day she had changed her mind, and she was suddenly worried that I was trying to rip her off. Naturally, her suspicion of me does not make for a very cozy living situation, and I have decided to move out. I'm not looking forward to apartment hunting again, but I think it will be for the best.

Before I decided to move out, I took some pictures from the balcony and the kitchen window. It has been beautiful and sunny since I arrived, which makes for nice pictures. Here they are:





Now for the good news. After calling around a bit and worrying about where I'm going to stay while I look for a new place, I got in touch with Nicole, the summer intern in the economics section of the U.S. Embassy. Nicole is also a masters student at Indiana University's Russian and East European Institute, although I hadn't met her because she has been living in Romania for a year on a Fulbright Fellowship. I called Nicole, and she said that I can stay with her while I look for somewhere to live. It was a great relief to talk to someone who can relate to what I'm going through. I'm so thankful for Nicole, and everyone else who has helped me or been friendly to me over the past few days! I'll keep you updated on my second attempt at finding an apartment.